


I’ll Be Home (For Christmas)

by seekrest



Series: Merry and Bright [5]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: (by the end), Alternate Universe - No Powers, But also, College Student Peter Parker, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Forced Bonding, Idiots in Love, Inaccurate Weather Situations, Messy Geography, Michelle Jones is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Road Trips, Romantic Fluff, Strangers to Lovers, and there was only one bed, this is a romcom dressed up in a fic, we aren't here for accuracy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:53:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21771751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: “Liz, are you serious right now?”Michelle groans as she flops down on her roommate’s bed, hearing her giggle even as she rolls her eyes.“You said you wanted to do a big road trip before the end of the year. I think you and Peter would really get along if you actually tried—““Don’t finish that sentence. Peter and I are opposites. He’s a flirt who thinks too much of himself.”She pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she says, “What time did he want to leave again?”Liz snorts, Michelle bringing her head up to face her.“Ask him yourself. You have his number.”Michelle groans, sighing again.“Don’t remind me.”
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Merry and Bright [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559587
Comments: 46
Kudos: 244





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tvfanatic97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvfanatic97/gifts).



> Merry Christmas to the rom com queen! Hope you enjoy these idiots, the romantic cliches and the ultimate trope - how to deal with there being only one bed ;)

“Liz, are you serious right now?”

Michelle groans as she flops down on her roommate’s bed, hearing her giggle even as she rolls her eyes.

“It’s not the worst thing in the world. Besides, you said you wanted to do a big road trip before the end of the year.”

“With _you_ ,” Michelle sighs, turning over as she props her head up, eyes narrowing as Liz pointedly avoids her stare. “I wanted to do a big road trip with _you._ Not your annoying friend from high school. Can’t you just,” Michelle waves her other hand around, “get your dad to ship your car out or something? If he can buy you a last-minute plane ticket as a gift, can’t he afford to—“

“MJ, don’t be so dramatic.” Liz turns away from the mirror, brushing aside some of her hair as Michelle glares at her.

“I’m not being dramatic. I don’t want to be stuck in a car that asshole for a week.”

Liz rolls her eyes, leaning back against the dresser as she folds her arms. “First off, he’s _not_ an asshole. He’s a good guy.”

Michelle wrinkled her nose as Liz continued. “Second, I think you and Peter would really get along if you actually _tri_ ed. Have you even said more than five words to him since you--”

Michelle sits up, placing her feet on the floor as she stares back at Liz. 

“Don’t finish that sentence. Peter and I are opposites. He’s a flirt who thinks too much of himself.” 

Liz sighs, shaking her head as says, “You don’t know him like I do, MJ. If you just—“

Michelle puts up a hand. “I’ve heard the riot act, you don’t have to give it to me again.” She pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes as she says, “What time did he want to leave again?”

Liz snorts, Michelle bringing her head up to face her. 

“Ask him yourself. You have his number.”

Michelle groans, sighing again.

“Don’t remind me.”

* * *

It’d been a mistake that Michelle had regretted immediately after it happened, getting drunk and fooling around with her neighbor at the beginning of the year welcome party.

Only she hadn’t known he was her neighbor at the time, making out with the first person she’d seen, trying to distract herself from everything else that had happened that day. 

She’d been relying on her on-campus job to be there for her when she got back, only to find out that she’d been ‘dismissed’ - stressing about how she would be able to figure out her meal plan now. To add insult to injury, the class Michelle had spent three semesters waiting to get in closed up before she could have the chance to sign up, the internet at the coffee house she had been at fritzing at the worst time. 

Michelle didn’t even like parties like that, planning originally to just close herself in her room rather than join the festivities down the hall. 

Michelle can still remember the way they’d fumbled back to his room, the annoying squeak of his bed and the aftermath, collapsing on top of him as the faint sounds of some one-hit wonder played in the background down the hall. 

“I’m Peter, by the way.” She remembered him saying, immediately regretting the decision - not for having sex with him, but that she hadn’t caught his name beforehand - thinking that maybe this was some kind of new low for her. 

Michelle had brushed it off, not even responding as she slipped her clothes back on even as he had called out to her. 

It wasn’t until she left his room that she’d realized just how much she’d fucked up by fucking him - opening the door and seeing her own across the hall, groaning as she walked straight to it and slammed it in his face. 

What made it even worse was the next morning, hungover and still a little sore when Liz had brought him by, so excited to introduce her two favorite people - a newly transferred Peter Parker, her best friend from high school who had just arrived from ESU. 

“MJ huh? Nice to meet you.” She could still remember Peter’s cocky little grin, the way he’d looked at her up and down like he knew her. 

Which he did, in the Biblical sense, but Michelle wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of thinking that that meant that he actually _knew_ her, answering with, “It’s Michelle.” 

It’d been awkward ever since - pushing him away and refusing to talk to him aside from hellos and goodbyes. 

Of all the fucking coincidences that Michelle’s life had given her, this was probably the one that annoyed her the most - that the first random hookup she’d had in months wasn’t just her neighbor, but her roommates best friend from high school. 

Liz was right - Peter wasn’t a bad guy, so to speak. He’d clearly respected her boundaries by not pushing forward with trying to talk to her, calling her Michelle even if it was abundantly clear that she went by MJ to almost everyone else. 

But seeing him just reminded her of cheap vodka and a dark room, of a pulsing headache and a party where she’d tried to drown her sorrows only to fall into bed with the one stranger that ended up not being a stranger at all. 

Michelle didn’t have a lot of regrets in life. 

But sleeping with Peter Parker was probably at the top of the list. 

* * *

“You ready to do this?” 

Michelle sighed, slamming the trunk as Peter smirked back at her. 

“Just cause we have to do this for Liz doesn’t mean I’m happy about it. We’re not friends.”

“What’s your problem?” He asks, Michelle hearing the mild annoyance but genuine question in it, seeing the way his eyebrows furrowed as she narrowed her eyes.

“Why do I have to have a problem? What, a woman wants nothing to do with you and suddenly it’s _her_ problem?” 

Peter rolls his eyes, unfurling his arms as he stood up. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m--”

“I’d ask what _are_ you saying but that would imply that I cared.” Michelle quipped back, walking to the driver’s side of the car. She opens the door, sliding in as Peter did the same - closing it as she turned to face him.

“And I don’t. For the record.”

Peter almost snorts, staring right into her eyes. 

“Well for the record, I think you’re full of shit.” Peter replies.

Michelle goes to say something but he stops her, putting a hand up.

“But fine, whatever. You ‘don’t care’,” He says, pantomiming quotation marks as he puts his seatbelt on. “Can we just get through the next few days without killing each other?” 

Michelle scowls, putting her on seat belt before turning the ignition. 

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

* * *

It takes four hours to get to Reno but it’s four hours that Michelle knows she won’t be able to get back. 

They’d left as early possible, the sunlight streaming in through the front windshield as they drove along in silence, save for the playlist Liz had created as a buffer. 

“I know this is nothing and I’m going to give you gas money, but it’s the least I could do.” Michelle remembers her saying, scrolling through the playlist and frowning.

“Why would you pick--”

“Some songs are for you and some songs are for Peter.” Liz had interrupted her matter-of-factly, shrugging as she continued. “And some songs are ones that I think you two would like. You have to listen to them in order though, no shuffling.”

Liz had said as much again to Peter before she’d left, staring each other down like they weren’t about to embark on what could be the most miserable forty-five hours - at minimum - of Michelle’s life.

But it was for Liz. She needed the car and Michelle was a good roommate. 

It occurs to her that Peter must also be a good friend, to willingly sign up to be in a car for her for the next forty-five hours - making sure that she didn’t drive alone. 

But Michelle pushes that thought away, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as she leans forward.

“You okay to drive?” She hears him ask, cutting her eyes at him to see the mildly amused expression on his face.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why, cause women can’t drive?”

Peter laughs, a sharp sound that breaks through the Ramones play in the background.

“No? Because you keep leaning forward like you can’t see.” He mirrors her posture, Michelle realizing how tense it must look to someone who doesn’t know her. 

“Oh. I’m fine, I just hate driving.”

Peter snickers again, putting his feet on the dashboard. “You really signed up for a week of hell then.”

She smacks his feet with her hand, catching Peter’s surprised look out of the corner of her eye as she turns her attention back to the road in front of her. “Feet of the dash. And yeah, I did. It’s for Liz. Don’t make me regret it.”

Peter sighs, Michelle keeping her face forward as he does what he’s told, leaning his head against his hand as he whispers.

“I think it’s clear that you already do.” 

* * *

“This is a good one.”

Michelle glances over to him, watching as his fingers tap against the wheel. They’d switched when they stopped in Reno for a quick bathroom break and now we’re somewhere in the middle of nowhere Nevada.

It’d been mostly silent, Michelle figuring that her lack of rebuttal from his comment earlier had made things more awkward than they already were.

Phone service went in and out and since the sun was still out - Michelle dug out a book, almost putting on her headphones and listening to her own music. 

She didn’t, not just that the idea of further offending the person she was stuck in a car with the for the next few days didn’t sound appealing but that doing so would somehow be a personal affront to Liz - knowing how hard she had worked in trying to create something they would both enjoy.

But aside from the car rumbling forward and the music playing in the background, Michelle had mostly tuned everything out - lost in a biography about Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, wondering if maybe her goal to be attorney general was aiming too low.

Peter’s words catch her off guard, focusing on the song until she smirks, raising an eyebrow at him as she asks, “You like Ariana Grande?”

“You _don’t_ ?” Peter asks, almost offended at the assumption. Michelle just stares at him over her book, watching as he softly sings to _thank u, next_. 

“ _I’m so fucking grateful for my ex. Thank u, next.”_ Peter bobs his head, steadily tapping his fingers. Michelle had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing as Peter continued to sing. 

He wasn’t terrible, just the sight of it was too much for her - closing her book as she turns the music up. Peter looks at her in surprise, but Michelle just shrugs, leaning against the car door as she sings, “ _got so much love_ _, got so much patience. Learned from the pain, turned out amazing.”_

Peter smiles, joining in as the song played - Michelle turning her attention back to the road as the melody filled the air - thinking she’d have to text Liz and let her know that the playlist hadn’t been a complete bust.

* * *

“Hey, we’re here.”

“What?” Michelle’s groggy and immediately disoriented, opening her eyes to see the green fluorescent lighting of some motel they were at. She blinks a few times, looking at Peter as he smirks.

“Thought this was a good a place as any to stop.”

“Where is here exactly?” Michelle asks, stretching as she starts to take in her surroundings. 

It was dark, the moonlight reflecting off the snow. She could see a couple of cars parked in the parking lot, the 70’s inspired decor indicating that this motel had seen better days

“Somewhere in Utah, we passed the border awhile back.” Peter’s voice brings her attention back to him, watching as he yawns and says, “I tried to push it but I’m beat. Figured you wouldn’t want to die before graduation.”

“You thought right.” Michelle replied, unbuckling herself as she went to exit the car.

It was freezing, Michelle immediately regretting that she hadn’t worn her coat out - the hoodie she had on feeling paper-thin as she went for the trunk. Peter was by her side immediately, going to open it as he said, “I went ahead and got us a room. For someone who couldn’t afford to ship the car out to her, Liz’s dad seems to have no problem bankrolling this whole thing.”

Michelle had thought that was odd herself, glad in a way that Peter picked up on it. But she was getting too cold now to think, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder as Peter grabbed his things and closed the trunk. 

“I don’t care who’s paying as long as I can get out of this cold. Shit, it’s freezing.” She shudders involuntarily, Peter nodding his head to her right.

“We’re in room 42 over there.”

Michelle follows his lead, her teeth chattering slightly as the snow crunched underneath her feet.

Peter fumbled with the keys a little bit, seemingly just as cold as she was until they stepped in - only to flick on the lights and stop, Michelle almost bumping into him. 

“What’s going—“

But then she sees it, what had stopped Peter in his tracks - nondescript, outdated 70’s motel room.

And in the center of the room - only one bed.

“I asked her for a double.” Peter was quick to explain, Michelle feeling the twinge of awkwardness in his voice and the reminder of how they’d first met immediately rushing back to the front of her mind.

“It’s fine.” Michelle answers and it is, needing a hot shower and still feeling half-asleep as she pushed past him.

“I can go and— try to see if we can—“

“It’s fine, Peter really.” Michelle cuts him off, throwing her bag down on the chair before saying, “I don’t want them to double charge Liz’s dad for this. I mean clearly,” she vaguely gestures towards the room, “this isn’t the Ritz so I doubt they’ll bend over backwards for you.”

Peter still looks uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one leg to another until Michelle sighs, closing the door behind her to try and regain some kind of warmth.

“Are you sure—“

“It’s fine. I promise. I’m gonna take a shower okay?” 

Peter seems to finally accept it, putting his bag down and starting to take off his shoes. Michelle goes for her own stuff in her bag, grabbing some toiletries and a change of clothes, smirking to him as she says, “If there’s no more hot water when I’m done, consider it payback.”

Peter rolls her eyes and Michelle laughs, walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

* * *

She doesn’t use all the hot water - at least she hopes she doesn’t, brushing her teeth in the shower and putting her hair up to keep it from getting wet. The cold air was brutal - to her skin, her hair, her will to live - and Michelle let it fall loosely on her shoulders as she got out, Peter jumping up.

“What?”

“I gotta pee, move.” Is all the answer she gets, almost laughing at how fast Peter gets in after her, putting her things away.

The heater wasn’t working well, Michelle still shivering as she crawled into bed, pulling herself into the fetal position as she tried to keep warm. 

She’s already half-asleep when Peter comes out, hearing him hit something and curse loudly as she blinks open one eye.

Michelle raises her head, staring at the mess he’s made of the towels from the bathroom before raising an eyebrow.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Peter scratches the back of his neck, pointing towards the the floor as if it was obvious. “I’m uh, making a bed.”

Michelle gives him a look, rolling her eyes as she says, “There’s a bed here, Peter.”

Peter blanches, eyes meeting hers. “Oh, I figured— I just thought—“

“It’s cold as fuck outside, the heater doesn’t work and we’ve already seen each other naked so,” Peter blushes furiously at that, Michelle gesturing to the other side of the bed, “I think we’ll be fine.”

Peter looks just as uneasy as he did before, a thought occurring to her that maybe it wasn’t that he was just trying to preemptively alleviate any of her discomfort but was trying to manage his own.

“Unless, sorry, if that’s too weird—“

“Not weird, just didn’t want to make things more weird, you know.” Peter offers a tight smile. 

“I know you don’t like me, I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable.”

“I don’t not like you,” Michelle winces are the double negative but continues, “I don’t _know_ you. And it’s fine, Peter really. We’re both adults. If I make it to New York by myself because you died of frostbite on the first night, Liz’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Peter laughs at that, Michelle gesturing towards the floor.

“So unless your heart is set on sticking it out, just come on.”

Peter doesn’t need much more than that, leaving the towels on the floor as he comes across to the other side of the bed, pulling the covers underneath him as he burrows himself into the bed, his back towards her. 

Michelle would laugh if she didn’t feel the same, turning the light off as she mirrors his position - his body heat radiating from under the covers even though they were still as far apart as possible. 

It was quiet, save for the slight shivers as Michelle’s breathing started to deepen, closing her eyes.

“Night, Michelle.”

Peter’s voice is so quiet she can barely hear it, Michelle replying back as she sighs.

“Goodnight, Peter.”

* * *

“Looks like a storm is coming in.” Peter says, his voice cutting through Michelle humming along to some Iron & Wine song that had come up. 

Liz’s playlist had long since been discarded, only cause Peter and her has devolved into a mini-argument over which Journey song was better. Michelle didn’t really care but she liked how animated Peter got, seeing the flush of his cheeks as he tried to convince her that “Anyway You Want It” was superior to “Don’t Stop Believin’”

He’d switched the aux cord to his own music, Michelle thinking to tell him to keep it on neutral territory - only to be pleasantly surprised with music taste, leading to a conversation on the industry overall.

Peter was a physics major - she remembered that much, but his roommate majored in music, Michelle laughing despite herself as she listened to his stories about the various things he found himself in.

The conversation had shifted easily then, any resulting tension from the day before dissipated. Michelle guessed that it had to do with the proximity or the fact that they both understood how long they would be together. 

But it also may or may not have been due to last night, Michelle waking up to find herself pressed up against him, Peter’s arm wrapped around her.

She immediately had froze, realizing their position but also realizing Peter was still asleep - wondering how to best get out of this without waking him up.

It was science - they were cold and their bodies clearly reacted on instinct. But it reminded her a little too much of how close they had been the first night they met, trying to figure out a way to dip out out of his arms only for Peter to stir - seemingly freezing as if he realized the same thing.

Michelle pretended like she was still asleep, a coward’s way out but it did the trick - Peter shifting himself until he was on the other side of the bed, the silence in the room so loud that she’s sure he could hear her heartbeat racing underneath her chest. 

She’d ‘woken up’ when he was in the bathroom and they’d packed everything up without a word. Michelle didn’t dare to try and bring it up - knowing she’d be giving herself up in the process - feeling like it should be more awkward because they both had woken up in a compromising position, even if Peter hadn’t been aware that she knew. 

But now driving the road, halfway through Wyoming - Michelle wondered if they’d have to confront it sooner or later - the possibility of having to pull over so soon coming back to bite her in the ass. 

“It’s fine, we’ll be okay.” Michelle said as she leaned forwared, turning on the windshield wipers.

“I don’t know, this looks bad.” She looked at Peter, seeing the way his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at his phone, scrolling through some news story. 

“We’ll figure it out. Liz’s car can handle it.”

Peter met her eyes for a second before she looked back towards the road. 

“We’ll be fine.” 

* * *

They were not fine. 

They barely made it through Wyoming, stopping more than they needed to and going slowly because of the snow. But by the time they made it to Nebraska, it was much later than they’d anticipated - Michelle feeling dead on her feet from driving, even though Peter had argued that they could pull over and switch.

It had led to an argument, one that just built up because of how tired, cold and hungry that they both were. Michelle didn’t want to stop, no matter how exhausted she was until they made it to the next state while Peter said it was being ridiculous - much less dangerous - to continue but Michelle had been the one behind the wheel. 

Now, pulling in to some shady motel again, she was too tired to argue - finding themselves in a silence as Peter sighed. 

“I’ll get the room this time.” Michelle stated, Peter too tired or frustrated to argue as he nodded and went for their bags. 

When she made it back to the car, ensuring that there would be two beds this time, Peter laughed when they came up to the room - Michelle looking back at him curiously, as if being delirious with exhaustion had somehow been contagious. 

“What?” She asked as she unlocked the door.

“The room number. It’s 42. Like last time.” 

Michelle smirked, too tired to laugh but seeing the irony in it. “Maybe our FBI agents are playing a practical joke on us.”

“The surveillance state isn’t a joke, Michelle.” Peter countered, Michelle actually smiling as she remembered their previous conversation - before the argument - about stupid videos they saw on the internet that had somehow led to a discussion on the overreach of governmental surveillance. 

“Don’t listen to them guys, glad you’re watching out for us.” Michelle yelled out to no one in particular, hearing Peter’s laugh as they walked in and he closed the door behind him.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Peter asked, setting his bag down on his bed as she smiled.

“Yeah, whatever bug boy.” Michelle replied.

“Bug boy?” Peter was full on laughing now, the giggle in Michelle’s throat that she knew came from exhaustion building. 

“You were the one who was so freakishly obssesed with that spider museum.”

“Spiders are arachnids, Michelle.”

“Whatever,” She rolled her eyes, waving her hand as she walked towards the bathroom, grabbing some clothes before saying, “They’re bugs and they’re gross.” 

She heard Peter’s laughter through the door, turning on the shower and feeling lighter in a way she couldn’t explain.   
  


_Maybe Liz was right. Maybe Peter’s not so bad after all._


	2. Chapter 2

“You have got to be kidding me.”

Michelle rolled her eyes, seeing the smug smile on Peter’s face.

“I told you a storm was coming in.”

“You know what Parker,” Michelle pointed a finger at him, the wind blowing wildly outside the motel room, “I don’t want to hear this.”

Peter shrugged, taking his shoes off as Michelle watches him, furrowing her eyebrows.

“Don’t do that, we’re leaving.”

Peter snorted, hand extended towards the window. “I thought you wanted to make it to graduation. Look at it Michelle, the owner said it’d be—“

“I know what the  _ owner _ said, Peter.” Michelle argued, taking a step towards him. “ _ I’m  _ saying that it sounds like someone doesn’t want to lose out on business.”

Peter put his hands up but didn’t make any effort to move, staring back at her. “If you want to head out into the tundra when it’s like negative thirty degrees out there, be my guest. I,” he walked past her, grabbing the tv remote and flopping down on his bed, “am going to wait it out.”

Michelle frowned, knowing he was right but hating that he was. 

They’d both been too exhausted to really check the weather last night, falling into their respective beds without so much as a word to each other. 

But now it was morning and Michelle realized just how stupid this plan really had been, wondering what the hell Liz was thinking - what the hell  _ she  _ was thinking - going on a road trip with a relative stranger at the beginning of winter.

“We don’t even know how long it’ll take. What if we’re stuck here for a week?”

Peter rolled his eyes but kept his attention on the tv, flipping though the channels as he said, “It’s not gonna take a week. The owner—“

“Stop with the owner shit. How did you even make friends with him so fast? You go to get bad lobby coffee and make a best friend?”

Peter ignores the jab, continuing, “Carl says these kinds of storms last for about twelve hours or so. Quick bursts and then they’re gone. Weather man said the same thing.”

“Because the  _ weather  _ guy is always so accurate.” Michelle grumbled, feeling her defenses fall as she glanced around.

The motel they were in this time was a little nicer. And they had two beds which was a plus - avoiding the scenario they’d found themselves in last night like some fucking cliche. 

Michelle wasn’t even in that much of a rush to get home, knowing her dad would be too busy with work anyway. She’d honestly planned on spending most of her time with Liz’s family and her friend Gwen was supposed to be in from school too. 

Going home wasn’t anything she was really looking forward to because there wasn’t really a home waiting for her. 

It made her wonder what Peter was going home to - not knowing much about his family, even if he did seem to text someone named May often enough - the few times she’d seen his phone buzz during the trip.

It made her wonder if he had some kind of girlfriend back at home but if that was the case, then hooking up with her at the beginning of the year made him a cheater and a flirt, something that didn’t sit right with her now that she knew him a little better.

Michelle felt herself warm up at that drunken memory, sighing as she shook her head and fished her phone out of her pocket - heading for the door.

“You’re not seriously thinking of leaving are you?” It’s a question tinged with sarcasm but his eyes are full of concern, Michelle almost taken aback at how alert he is - like he’d be ready to jump and leave if she really wanted to.

“No, uh, gonna make a phone call. Maybe see if we can get some pizza delivered or something.”

Peter seems relieved that she wasn’t leaving, nodding his head before he laid back down the bed. “Let me know what you find. I can pay.”

“Trust me, Liz gave us her credit card for a reason. This is all going on her bill.” She countered, catching Peter’s smile as she opened the door.

The cold was blinding, Michelle immediately regretting walking outside even if she wanted the privacy. She half-walked, half-ran to the lobby - the owner greeting her with a head nod.

“You uh, you got any pizza places around here?”

The owner just stared at her, pointing to the vending machines. “Ain’t no one delivering in this mess. Best I can do for ya.”

Michelle just stares, the owner staring back - wondering if maybe Peter could come in and work whatever magic he had to get the same “friendly guy” he’d talked about before.

Michelle doesn’t push it though, turning away from him and heading towards where a couch was - opening her phone and calling Liz.

It rings twice before she answers, hearing her roommate's voice ring out from the other end. 

“MJ! I was just about to text you. How’s everything going? Are you and—“

“We’re stuck in Nebraska. Apparently there’s some freak blizzard thing going on.”

“Oh my God, MJ. Are you okay?”

She can hear the concern in her voice but Michelle is focused, her mind going back to the thought she had yesterday about how rational this plan Liz’s dad had. 

_ Unless it wasn’t his plan at all. _

The realization hits her like a ton of bricks, knowing that this was exactly the kind of thing her well-meaning roommate would do to try and bring her favorite people closer together. 

“You sure your dad is okay with us spending all this money to drive your car? I mean, I’m not an expert but this seems like it costs way more money for us to drive rather than to ship it or something.”

Liz’s silence on the other end is all the confirmation she needs, groaning as she hears Liz’s voice on the other end.

“About that…”

“Liz,  _ tell _ me you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” Liz sounds uneasy, Michelle sighing - knowing her roommate’s half-baked scheme had been called out.

“Tell me you  _ didn’t  _ create some kind of scenario that would put Peter and I together for the next week. Do you even  _ need _ the car during the holiday? Does your  _ dad _ know how much money this is costing him?”

“He doesn’t care, it’s my credit card to use however I want.” Liz’s voice is certain on the other line, coming up with the kind of resolve that she’s seen before - when someone fought her in class. 

“And what I  _ want _ is for you and Peter to stop having your head up your asses and get along. You guys could be great friends if you--”

“Liz, I cannot believe you’re actually defending yourself right now. Do you hear what you’re saying?” Michelle doesn’t mean to raise her voice but she does anyway, the anger seething through her.

She can see Carl eyeing her out of the corner of her eye but ignores it. Liz is silent on the other end as Michelle continues. 

“We’re stuck, in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, in some fucking motel with an owner who has fucking  _ pretzels _ to offer us for God knows how long and you put us here just to-- to---” 

Michelle cuts her own self off, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tries to calm down. As infuriating as this half-baked plan of Liz’s was - and it was really  _ fucking  _ half-baked for someone who was supposed to be as smart as she was - she can’t put all the blame on her.

Michelle had went along with it, without questioning the details beforehand and Peter did the same. It was dumb and stupid but it did give her the chance to hang out with Liz, if she didn’t kill her when she saw her again. 

Now she actually had a place to be for the holiday. And despite her initial reservations, Peter hadn’t turned out to be the complete asshole she had created him to be in her head. 

“I’m sorry, MJ.” Liz sounds apologetic on the other line, enough that Michelle feels herself to calm down.

Whatever the case, they were here now. Michelle wasn’t going to ditch Liz’s car in the middle of nowhere and if Peter was right, the storm should pass soon enough. They were not friends necessarily but they weren’t going to kill each other.

Michelle could make it another few days. 

“You owe me coffee for the next six months.” 

Liz laughs, clearly hearing the acceptance of her apology as she says, “MJ, if you and Peter make here in one piece, I’ll buy you coffee for the next  _ year _ .” 

* * *

Michelle knocks on the door, shivering in place until Peter opens it, looking at her curiously until he sees what she has in hand.

“Pizza’s out. Owner is a bit of an ass.” She dumps out the assortment of pretzels, candies and chips that she’d gotten on his bed, the memory of getting them all and staring down the owner as he looked at her in shock then annoyance.

“You can’t grab all those.” He’d argued, staring at her up and down in a way that made Michelle’s eyes narrow. 

If she was going to be stuck in this miserable place for the next few hours, Michelle wasn’t going to allow some guy with a power trip or whatever the hell else was running through his mind keep her from having any of the small joys that she could.

“So you what, bought everything in the vending machine?” Peter asks with a smirk, only for it to fall when he sees the mischievous smirk on her face.

“Michelle! Really? Carl was saying that they only get shipments like, every two weeks. What if--”

“Carl can live.” Michelle answers, moving some of the goodies aside as she settles across from him. “ _ We _ are going to be stuck here for God knows how long. We might as well eat like kings while we can.”

Peter stares at her for a second, a look on his face that she doesn’t recognize before it passes, shaking his head as he grabs a Milky Way.

“You think my FBI agent will judge me if I eat this?”

* * *

The day passes fairly quickly, much faster than Michelle had expected.

Peter was funny, but not in a try hard kind of way. He was sarcastic, she knew that already but the commentary he made while they watched whatever bad television movie was playing made her laugh so hard she started to tear up.

He was also considerate, way more understanding than she had anticipated - Michelle telling him what Liz had done sometime in the afternoon - after he mentioned how close they had been in high school and how glad he was to have transferred. 

“I can’t say I’m surprised. I thought it was… weird that her dad was so willing to just fund this little road trip when he could just pay for it to be shipped out.”

“That’s what  _ I _ thought.” Michelle had replied, laying back on his bed as she stared at the ceiling. 

Peter didn’t move, just watching her as she continued. “But we’re here now so, I guess that’s that.” 

The conversation had shifted, back to their classes and their respective career plans. Junior year was awful but Peter seemed focused on his goals just as much as she was, wanting to work in scientific research or more surprisingly, med school. 

“Physics… med school. How do you figure that?”

Peter had only laughed, shrugging. “My dad was a doctor. Well, not that kind of doctor. I don’t know, I want to help people.” 

“Does your dad work in something else now?” Michelle had asked, seeing the way his features darkened. She immediately understood what it meant, in a way she couldn’t explain.

“Sorry if that’s--”

“It’s okay,” Peter waved his hand as he shrugged, seeing the tension in his shoulders as he did so. “He uh, and he my mom died when I was little.” 

Michelle immediately felt sympathy for him, Peter continuing, “My aunt and uncle raised me. My aunt’s a nurse and my uncle…” Peter sighed, Michelle seeing the way his eyes got lost in some memory.

“He used to be an electrician.” 

“I’m sorry, Peter.” Michelle could infer from how he was talking about him that he was gone, wondering how Peter could seem so light-hearted considering the clear traumas that he’d faced. 

But Peter just smiled, shrugging his shoulders again as he said, “It’s okay. I mean, that’s just life you know?” 

He’d turned back to face her, nodding as he said, “Life can suck sometimes but you just gotta get back up, you know? Try and help people when you can.” 

Michelle understood, telling him her plans of being a lawyer - referencing the biography she had read in the car. 

He seemed just as enthusiastic about her plans, asking her more questions about what law schools she was interested in and if she’d started studying for the LSAT. 

Peter was also a good listener, something that made Michelle realize why Liz had liked him so much - eventually moving to the conversation she had been dying to know since they’d been introduced but hadn’t really had the courage to ask.

“So did you and Liz ever--”

Peter turned beet red, shaking his head as he popped a Whopper in his mouth. “Ah no, we uh went out like once in high school for homecoming but it was a complete disaster. Her dad freaked me out and I was a nervous wreck.” He laughed, shrugging. 

“I ended up having to leave because I had a panic induced asthma attack.”

“Damn Parker, didn’t realize pretty girls messed you up so much.” Michelle had replied, staring at the television. 

Peter hadn’t answered her, Michelle turning to him to see that he was staring right at her. 

“I don’t know, Michelle,” Peter had started, clearing his throat as he reached for another bag of chips. “You’d be surprised how I get around pretty girls.”

Michelle wasn’t sure how to take that, her mind inexplicably going to the first time they’d met - wondering how easily he’d been into having sex with her. 

She wasn’t stupid, Michelle knew she was attractive - but knowing Peter now, she was curious. 

“Is that how you explain how we met?” She blurts out, seeing Peter’s cheeks flush even as he stared back at her - knowing she’s being a little too forward considering how many days they still had left together on this trip. 

But Peter just smirks, tilting his head as he said, “If I remember right,  _ you _ started that.”

“I know, I know,” Michelle waved her hand, trying to act nonchalant even if her heart seemingly skipped a beat. “Just, you don’t strike me as the kind to just… have sex with a stranger.”

Peter laughed. “Is that some kind of morality judgement? Really?”

“No, not that. Just,” Michelle tries to search for the words but can’t even make sense of what she’s saying, “I don’t know. You seem like the romantic type. The guy who would want to  _ woo _ someone or some stupid sappy shit.” 

Peter purses his lips, opening a bag of chips. “I mean yeah, that’s nice. Why not right?” He brings his attention back to her, smiling even if she could see it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Sometimes it’s nice to feel wanted.” 

* * *

By the time evening comes, the storm has slightly dissipated - Michelle almost considering driving through the night. But Peter - the dumbass - had already gone and paid for another night, making small talk with Carl. 

The one bright spot is that for Peter he did end up getting that pizza, bringing it back triumphantly.

“Figures.” Michelle had scoffed, taking a slice of pepperoni.

“Sometimes it pays to be nice to people, Michelle.”

“Sometimes it pays to be  _ white _ , Peter.” She’d answered without much thought, feeling the visible tension in Peter’s shoulders as she glanced over to him.

The expression of his face darkens, eyebrows furrowing as if she’d struck him. 

“What?” She asks, seeing the way Peter’s eyebrows furrowed. 

“You don’t think-- I mean, was that--”

Michelle shrugged. “Who the fuck knows? It doesn’t matter. Trust me,” She took a big bite of her pizza, Peter watching as she chewed and swallowed before saying, “I’ve seen worse. ”

“If that’s— is that why he was rude to you? That’s… that’s not right, Michelle.” 

Michelle just stared at him, blinking a few times before nodding. “No, it’s not. But whether it is or isn’t, you’re not going to change some random guy in Nebraska’s mind by what, going over there? Setting him straight?”

Peter hadn’t moved from where he was, looking like that’s exactly what he wanted to do. Michelle motioned first him to sit down. 

“Eat the pizza, Parker. We’ll be gone in the morning.”

Peter still seemed visibly upset, even if he listened to her request - silent even when Michelle took over the commentary as they watched tv.

By the time she got out of the shower, preparing for bed - Peter was sitting on his bed, tapping his hands against his legs. 

“I’m sorry, Michelle.”

“Don’t apologize, Peter. I’m used to it.”

“That’s just it.” Peter’s voice is sharp - hard in a way that takes her back. He winces, shaking his head as he says, “Sorry it’s just. That kind of shit just pisses me off. Even more that I didn’t catch it.”

He meets her eyes, the apology so clear in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Michelle. That I didn’t realize what it was, what he could’ve been-- I wouldn’t have teased you like that, if I knew.”

Michelle studied him for a second, almost touched even though she knows she shouldn’t be - basic human decency being something that shouldn't be celebrated, but expected. 

But Peter’s sincerity catches her off guard, half-smiling as she said, “Thanks. I mean he could’ve just been an ass but, you never know.”

He searches her eyes for a second before nodding, accepting it - Michelle going to pull the covers up as she settles in her bed, facing Peter as he does the same. 

The bar for men - much less white boys - was on the ground, yet Michelle still felt a little taken aback at how quickly he’d wanted to defend her. She didn’t need it, she could defend herself.

But it was nice all the same. 

Michelle smiles, shaking her head. “Goodnight, Peter.”

Peter smiles back, his features relaxing. “Night, Michelle.”

* * *

  
“Does anyone even  _ live _ in Iowa?”

Michelle laughs, rolling her eyes as Peter groans - head leaning back as they pass through another empty field, covered in snow.

“Sorry that this cross country road trip is too boring for you. Remember that this is all Liz’s fault.”

“You’re right, it is. What are we gonna do about that when we get back to school?”

Michelle raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t strike you as the revenge type, Parker.”

Peter laughed, Michelle smiling at the sound.

“You’d be surprised at what ‘type’ I am, Michelle.”

Michelle bit her lip, making a snap decision that she already knows she won’t regret.

“MJ.”

“Hmm?” He asks, eyes still on the road.

“You don’t-- you can call me MJ. If you want.”

Peter glances at her, a mischievous expression on his face. “What? You mean I’ve been  _ granted _ the opportunity to call  _ you _ , the illustrious Michelle Jones,  _ MJ _ ?”

“Fuck off.” Michelle rolls her eyes, Peter laughing as he continues.

“What  _ will _ I do with this newfound power? I don’t, I mean I’d just like to thank my aunt, my FBI agent Bill, the academy--”

“Just drive, Parker.” 

* * *

They’re halfway through Illinois, looking for a place to stop when Liz texts them both - saying that she booked them a place to stay in Chicago. 

Peter’s eyes had widened at that, Michelle calling to confirm.

“Are you sure?”

“Consider it one step towards the mountain of apologies I have for you guys. I really am sorry for tricking you.”

Michelle winked at Peter, seeing the smirk on his face as she said, “Yeah well, if we rack up a room service bill the size of Kansas, then you’ll know you’re on the road to being forgiven.”

“Yeah speaking of, what’s the limit on this card again? For scientific purposes.” Peter says into the phone as he winks back, Michelle holding back a laugh. 

Liz laughs on the other end. “High enough that neither of you need to worry. Go all out or else I’ll think you guys have murdered each other.”

Neither of them know what to say to that, Michelle feeling like they were definitely more than strangers now - maybe almost friends.  


But she wasn’t about to give Liz that satisfaction, considering that had been her plan in the first place. 

“Yeah well, jury’s still out on that. Lot of places to dump a body in Ohio.”

Peter saw the smile on her face, laughing as they continued the call.

Liz must have really felt apologetic, booking them a place downtown - one that made Peter whistle when they drove up.

They took their own bags up, Michelle feeling almost underdressed in her leggings and Stanford hoodie. But Peter just moved forward to the desk, smiling as they checked themselves in.

Liz clearly hadn’t wanted to push their luck, getting them separate rooms. Even if Peter smiled as he waved his key around. “Look, I’m 4224.”

“Okay…?” Michelle had questioned only for Peter to sigh.

“42. Then 24 which is just 42 backwards. Keep up, MJ. It’s like the universe is telling us something.”

“And that would be?” Michelle asked, smiling despite herself.

Peter shrugged, as if that was answer enough. “Who knows. But it’s something.” 

Michelle was on a completely different floor, feeling a weird sense of displacement when she realized it - looking back to Peter as she went to exit the elevator.

“So, uh, guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Peter looked like he wanted to say something but didn’t, nodding as he said, “Yeah, yeah, Liz did say that we should see the city if he wanted. You know, for all our trouble and all.”

Michelle had only nodded, staring at him for a beat until the elevator chimed - realizing they had been blocking it for too long.

“Goodnight, Peter.”

Peter nodded back, another look on his face that she couldn’t explain as the doors closed.

“Night, MJ.”

* * *

Michelle feels restless, pacing her room. 

It was stupid, she barely knew Peter. And yet she found that she almost kind of  _ missed _ him, wondering how he was doing in his fancy hotel room by himself.

And it was -  _ fancy _ \- Michelle recognizing that Liz must’ve really felt awful for how much she went all out. 

_ Must be nice to have rich parents _ , she thought to herself as she sat down on the bed, grabbing the tv remote as she mindlessly flipped through the channels. 

The hotel room was nicer than any place she’d ever been in, knowing she should probably relish it - at least until she had reached a place in her own life to have it. 

Michelle knew she had a lot of years and a lot of shit she had to get through before she could make it in the world, but the thought of all of that - of  _ making _ something of herself - pushed her forward. 

Michelle sighed, grabbing her phone to text Peter and see how he was doing - only to smile to see that he’d already texted her, asking if she’d used all the hot water.

Michelle answered quickly, typing out a sarcastic remark asking if he had found some bellhop to schmooze with.

They went back and forth, Michelle losing interest in whatever was playing on television as the conversation shifted. 

He was just as quick as he was in person, meeting her for every line that she threw at him. It wasn’t until she was yawning that she saw the time, realizing that they’d been texting for hours - seeing that it was already past midnight.

They hadn’t even been talking about anything of significance, Michelle scrolling through their conversation once more - realizing how dangerously close to  _ flirty  _ they were being - a spark between them that she couldn’t decide if it had to do with how much time they’d spent together or something more. 

She pushes that thought away, wishing him goodnight before plugging in her phone and turning over. Michelle felt the smile on her face, a lightness washing over as she closed her eyes and sunk into the bed. 

Peter really wasn’t that bad of a guy after all, Michelle knew that by now. Liz’s plan may have been stupid as shit but now, as Michelle started to feel herself drift off, she let herself be glad that it worked. 

She and Peter were friends now, that much was clear. 

And as she drifted off to sleep, Michelle couldn’t help but look forward to tomorrow - seeing the city with him, a smile on her face as she imagined it.

* * *

“Look, look, look, it’s there! It’s right there!” 

“I see it, Peter.” Michelle held back a laugh, the joy that Peter felt about seeing a giant silver looking jellybean almost contagious.

“It’s so  _ big _ .” Michelle couldn’t help it, laughing as Peter rushed forward - people milling about, crowded around the obvious tourist trap.

It  _ was _ something, Michelle could admit - even if the city felt bitterly cold. She was glad she’d had the sense to pack something more than sweatpants for the trip home - bundled up as Peter took selfies in front of the Bean. 

He motioned to her, excitedly as Michelle laughed. “MJ, come on. Get in this one with me.”

“Peter…”

“For Liz. For us, come on this is great. Memories.” Peter starts to sing, Michelle rushing forward to stop him - thrown in embarrassment that he was singing one of her favorite songs off a silly musical she’d admitted to liking last night. 

“Don’t sing, shut up and smile.” Peter had just laughed in response, Michelle leaning forward and raising her chin up - a small smirk on her face as Peter grinned into the camera, throwing up a peace sign as they took a picture.

He took several, as one always does before being content to lean back - Michelle suddenly realizing how close they had been.  


Peter seemed oblivious, focused intently on the pictures and trying to decide which one he should send Liz.

It’s then that she starts to really  _ look _ at Peter, seeing the way he his hair curled under his beanie, the hoodie and jean jacket he had on over it making him look just as effortlessly casual as she now knew him to be. 

He was cute, she’d known that from the first night. But something stirred in her gut as she stared at him, shivering as she tried to keep warm.

How he wasn’t freezing, she didn’t know - Michelle dancing around in place while he looked at the pictures.

“You good? Come on, I’m hungry.”

Peter laughed, rolling his eyes as he stuck his phone back in his pocket.

“Yeah, yeah I’m good. Let’s go get some of that famous deep dish.”

* * *

The pizza was fine, nothing like a good New York slice in Michelle’s opinion but Peter seemed to enjoy it, eating an entire pizza like it was nothing.

“Where the hell do you put all that?” She’d asked, Peter just shrugging as he took a sip of his drink.

“Food’s meant to be enjoyed, MJ.”

Michelle had only raised an eyebrow, one of the few things she’d remembered from the night they met being his cut figure - the way his arms had held her as she rocked against him, her hands appreciatively running over his abs. 

It’s something she found herself still noticing, his jawline as he talked - the way the corner of his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the lightness in his face as he smiled.

Michelle knew he was attractive - she’d been drunk, not blind when she made out with him all those months ago.

But walking with him around the city, listening to him chatter on about the city sights that he’d clearly looked up beforehand last night - or early this morning, she didn’t know - Michelle felt her heart race a little bit when he smiled at her, a feeling that she couldn’t really explain. 

Walking around the city with him felt  _ almost _ like a date, especially when she caught him staring at her when they found themselves in some pop-up museum. 

But it wasn’t creepy or objective, just… there, the same way he’d looked at her anytime they’d passed in the hall all this semester.

Yet instead of rolling her eyes and walking away, Michelle just smiled at him - a fluttering in her chest that wouldn’t stop, her heart warming when he smiled back at her. 

It was dangerous how he looked at her, entirely too flirty - something she would’ve called him out on not even a week ago.

Michelle didn’t though, ignoring any kind of reason why - feeling their hands almost brushed together as they walked down the street, ignoring the way her heart started to race as they did. 

* * *

Michelle doesn’t think they should really spend the night again, knowing the hotel they were in was probably costing her a fortune but Liz was insistent - arguing that it really was the least she could do. 

As they walked back to the hotel, riding up the elevator in a comfortable silence, it struck Michelle again that she didn’t quite want the night to end - not really interested in seeing more of the city but unexplainably wanting to hang out more with Peter. 

“You want to--”

“You think we--”

They both start at the same time, Michelle laughing as she caught his eye. They arrive at her floor, Peter smiling as he held the door open for her.

“I had a good time today.”

“Me too.” Michelle answered, still standing in place. “You want to uh, you want to hang out for a bit?”

Peter waits, searching her face until he nods, “Yeah, I was uh, I was gonna ask you the same thing.”

Michelle smiled at that, leaning back into the elevator - Peter letting go of the elevator door as they rode up to his floor in silence - feeling a sense of anticipation that she couldn’t explain as they made their way back to his room.

She felt almost… giddy, like they were in on some secret, Peter walking into the room and closing the door after her. 

Michelle whistled, looking at everything. “Liz really does go all out huh?”

“Why, your room different?” Peter asks, Michelle taking her coat off as Peter does the same, slipping off his shoes and kicking them into a corner.

“No it’s the same, just,” 

He turns back to her, pulling his hoodie off of him to reveal a plain white shirt - Michelle catching a glimpse of his stomach as he does so - when she says, “Didn’t expect her to feel  _ that _ guilty.”

“Then again,” Michelle answered, taking off her own hoodie - suddenly feeling Peter’s eyes on the thin tank top she had on underneath as she says, “That’s what she gets for not telling us what she was doing beforehand.”

Peter swallows something in his throat, nodding quickly as he diverts his attention away, seemingly at a loss for what to focus on as he asks, “And uh, did she ever tell you exactly what that was?”

“Huh?” Michelle asks, taking a step forward until she goes to sit on the bed - Peter finally meeting her eyes.

“What exactly was she trying to do?” 

His tone is measured, Michelle feeling her heart start to race at the way he was staring at her. Her throat feels dry all of a sudden, swallowing as she finds her voice to say, “I think she wanted us to be better friends.”

Peter put a hand through his hair, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Yeah well, she succeeded then right?” 

He turned to face her, his knees so close to her it almost felt like a jolt to the system. Peter whispered, leaning forward slightly. “We’re friends, right?”

Michelle’s eyes dart to his lips then back to his eyes, wondering what the hell she was thinking even as she does it - rushing forward to kiss him. 

It was a risk, reminding her a little too much of that first night, hoping she hadn’t misread the situation. 

Peter’s thrown for a second before leaning into it, one hand immediately going to cradle her face as Michelle brings her own to his neck, pulling him closer. 

It’s desperate, needy in a way that reminds her of what that first night had been like - music pounding in the background and vodka flowing through her veins. 

But there’s no music here, no alcohol to excuse what they were doing - Peter’s mouth insistent against hers as she draws him in closer, leaning backwards on the bed as he goes to hover over her. 

“Yeah, we’re friends.” She says in between, hearing Peter laugh even as his tongue finds his way into her mouth, his hands starting to roam her body in a way that sends a tingle down her spine. She parts her legs, making space for him to hover over her.

“You must have some really good friends.” He murmurs as his lips move towards her neck, Michelle inhaling sharply as his hands finds her chest - running his hands over her in a circular motion, holding him tighter as she replies.

“You’d be surprised. I’m kind of a people person.”

He laughs again at that, moving his mouth back from her neck to her lips, Michelle feeling him start to harden as he drags his hips - an almost involuntarily reaction as their kisses start to gets more measured. 

“You’re amazing you know that? Fucking amazing.” Peter pants, Michelle focused more on the way his body was pressed against her, hips moving upwards to have more friction. 

“Yeah, I am.” Michelle answers, Peter laughing before moaning as she raises her leg, wrapping around him only to continue. “You’re nothing like I thought you were.”

“What did you think of me?” Peter almost whispers, Michelle feeling like she was going to burst if there was any more distance between them, pulling him closer.

“It doesn’t-- I don’t know.” 

He laughs a little, kissing her soundly before saying, “The great Michelle Jones, at a loss about me.”

“Shut up.” Michelle pants, making him moan as her hands drift downward, palming him through his jeans. 

“Fuck.” Peter says into her mouth, dropping his head onto her forehead. 

“That’s kind of the point.” Michelle says almost breathlessly, thinking that maybe there was some part of this was inevitable - as if maybe  _ this _ is what Liz had intended all along. 

“Do you have a condom?” She asks, thinking that it would’ve been incredibly presumptuous if him to have brought one considering they were barely talking to each other when they’d first started the trip.

But he’d had one that first night and she was hoping he had one now, even if the way his mouth felt against her neck made her think of other things they could do if he didn’t. 

He groans, kissing her soundly again until he lifts off of her, “Yeah, I-- in my bag.” He rushes off of her, Michelle almost tearing off her tank top as he does so - Peter stopping at seeing her bare chest.

“Fuck.” 

“You gonna stand there or--”

Peter doesn’t answer, tearing his shirt off and rushing forward to press himself back over her, Michelle inhaling as his hands start to wander again, dipping his fingers underneath her leggings to hover over the place she wanted him most - panting into her mouth when he realized anything he was planning was unnecessary.

“ _ Fuck _ , MJ.”

“Come on.” She whispers, kissing him again until he’s focused - slowly grinding down onto her, his jeans still furiously in the way. 

“Take off your pants.” 

Peter shows that he’s a good listener, almost wiggling them and his boxers off as best he can - Michelle wanting to laugh at how frantic he was. 

But she stops laughing when his lips found hers again, realizing that she still had her leggings and underwear on. One of Peter’s hands slip underneath the elastic, teasing her for a second before slowly sliding a finger into her - Michelle gripping his neck as he does so.

“Peter.  _ Fuck _ .” 

“Yeah.” He answers absentmindedly, kissing her as he slowly pumped his finger in and out before adding another - Michelle almost delirious from the sensation as she gasps, “Condom.” 

Peter slips his fingers out of her, Michelle making quick work of the rest of her clothing as he tears the packet open, stroking himself slightly as he slides it on. 

He hovers over her, Michelle staring into his eyes as he braces his hands over her. 

“Are you sure?”

Michelle does actually laugh then, seeing the smile on his face. She’d kissed him first and he’d already fingered her.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Consent is sexy, MJ. I just—I wanted you to be sure.”

She reaches for him then, seeing the way he closes his eyes as she pumps her hand slightly - guiding him to her entrance before whispering, “Then fuck yes.” 

Peter groans, pressing his forehead against hers as she lets go, allowing him to move into her - closing her own eyes as he starts to thrust his hips. 

He lifts his head, Michelle raising her own hips with his, bracing her arms around him as he continues to move - shallow at first then deeper, so slow that she feels like she’s going to burst. 

“Faster.” 

“No way, I’m gonna enjoy this.” He whispered, kissing her again even as he listened to her request, Michelle feeling the moan as he did. “I’ve been wanting to do this again for months.”

“I knew it,” Michelle replied, wrapping both her legs around him, pulling him in closer as they found a rhythm, “Knew you had a thing for me.”

“I thought you didn’t care.” Peter panted, pumping into her at a steady pace - Michelle just holding him tighter.

“I,” Michelle shuddered as Peter adjusted himself, bracing himself better so he could move faster, “I don’t.” 

Peter huffs but doesn’t say anything, Michelle feeling lost to the sense of him moving in and out of her. It was like a dance, moving in tandem with each other as Michelle started to feel it in her gut, building towards something as they did.

“I do.” He finally whispers, Michelle just nodding wordlessly.

Liz may not have planned for this exactly - though there was a part of Michelle that wondered if she  _ did _ \- but she also wasn’t complaining, thinking that she had severely underestimated Peter and who he was as his hips started to jerk faster.

He was a good person, fun to be around. Nothing like she had expected, but if she was honest - she hadn’t really allowed herself the chance to think about him. 

Michelle was starting to regret it, thinking of all that she’d been missing out the past few months as Peter continued to move with her. 

“Touch me.” She says after a few moments, knowing they were past enjoying themselves and chasing towards a finish, Peter panting in her ear.

“Bossy.” He answers but does anyway, moving his hands down to where their hips met, running his thumb against her as Michelle’s back started to arch, moving harder against him.

“ _ Fuck. Fuck. _ ” It hit her faster than she expected, the quickness of his fingers and the movement of him pushing in and out of her almost overwhelming. 

Peter continues to move, moving his hand away as he started to buck his hips, groaning when he found his release - continuing to move through it until he stilled, Michelle panting as she held him. 

Peter lifted his head, out of breath as she stared into his eyes. They looked glazed, blissed out completely until she saw a flash of something else, Peter smirking.

“So, you said you wanted to hang out tonight?” 

Michelle laughed again, Peter smiling as she did. “Dumbass.”

Peter just winked, his face turning into something more intimate - leaning forward to kiss her. Michelle returned it, moving her mouth against his until he pressed his forehead against hers once more. 

“I’ll be back.”

He slides out of her and its instantly a loss, Michelle watching as he sits up and slides off the condom, tying it up and heading for the bathroom to throw it out. 

Michelle stares up at the ceiling, still catching her breath. 

This wasn’t the first time she’d slept with Peter Parker but she can’t help but think that this time was different - memorable not only because she was sober but because she knew him. 

And yet even now all she could think about was how much she still didn’t know. 

How much she wanted to know everything. 

And also how much she wanted to have sex with him again. 

When he walked back in, he went to lay next to her, asking, “You okay?” 

Michelle realized she must have some kind of expression on her face, nodding as she said, “Yeah, just… just thinking of how we first met.” 

Peter wrinkled his nose, Michelle turning to him as he said, “I’d like to think we just made up for that.” 

Michelle laughed again. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“No but not my best work really,” Peter smiled, a twinkle in his eye. “I mean, you ignored me for the next four months. Clearly, I did something wrong.”

Michelle just smiled, turning over to face him.

“No, you didn’t.” she answered, seeing the smile on his face. “Just wasn’t the right time.”

Peter turned over to her too, moving a strand of hair out of her face as he asked, “And now?”

“Huh?”

Peter smiled, eyes searching her face.

“Is now the right time?” 

Michelle smiled, shrugging. “Maybe. I’ll keep you posted.”

But even as Peter rolled his eyes, Michelle leaned forward to kiss him - feeling the smile on his lips and the jumpstart of her heart. 

She’d have to thank Liz - the traitor - if only because while Michelle couldn’t have anticipated that this is where they would be halfway through their trip home, she couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ended up somewhere better. 

* * *

“Feet  _ off _ the dash, Parker.” 

Peter rolled his eyes but listened, popping a gummy worm into his mouth.

“You’re bossy when you haven’t had your coffee.”

“Get used to it.” Michelle replied, “That’s what you get for rushing me out of that gas station.”

“It was creepy, MJ. It gave me the heebie jeebies.” Peter shuddered, Michelle rolling her own eyes at his dramatics as she motioned for the bag in his hand.

“Not enough that you didn’t get almost a pound of candy. What the hell Parker, are you twelve or twenty?”

“Neither. Twenty-one.” Peter handed the bag to her anyway, Michelle digging one out and biting off one of them.

“Damn, these are good.” 

“Right?” Peter exclaimed, Michelle watching in amusement as he looked at it out of the corner of her eye. “Who knew Indiana had some hidden treasures?”

“Hidden treasures with creepy gas stations.” Michelle clarified.

Peter shrugged, a smile on his face.

“You never know what you’ll find.”

* * *

After their night in Chicago, the rest of the trip passed by quickly. It was only twelve hours to New York now - both of them thinking they shouldn’t press on Liz’s guilt any longer, even if the thought of spending another night with Peter made something in her stomach flutter.

But halfway through Pennsylvania, just as Michelle was starting to doze off, she felt Peter’s hand slip into hers - blearily looking back at him as he smiled. 

It occurred to her then that they hadn’t really talked about what they were doing, if this was just a hookup or maybe something more. 

Peter’s hands were rough and warm in hers, Michelle leaving it for another time - feeling the exhaustion crawling over her like a warm blanket. 

Sometimes there didn’t need to be words, not now - not with the snow still falling down outside, some pop song she couldn’t place playing in the background and Peter’s fingers intertwined with hers. 

Michelle felt content and fully at peace - knowing they were almost home. 

But just before she drifted off to sleep, Michelle couldn’t help but feel a sense that even if they were still hundreds of miles away from New York - that maybe she’d already arrived.

It was a fleeting thought, irrational and intermixed with the passing thoughts that only came when you were halfway to dreamland. 

Yet feeling Peter’s hand in hers, his soft humming in the background - Michelle smiled as she drifted off to sleep, dreaming of home and where - or who - that could be.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who asked, 42 is a little comic reference to the first time Peter finally saw MJ - a little play on the fact that this trip was the first time Michelle really saw Peter :)
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! I love it when people scream at me.


End file.
